Baptist Heart Institute patient enjoys 'new era of life' after heart transplant
Tupelo, Mississippi-resident and Baptist Heart Institute patient Chip Frazier was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at age 15.
While receiving a standard sports physical for school, the doctor asked Chip if he was related to Glynn Frazier, the local coach.
Glynn died after playing a game of volleyball at his church. He was 38 years old and collapsed when his heart stopped while walking to his car. Chip was just 1 1/2 years old.
When Chip confirmed Glynn was his dad, the doctor said Chip needed more tests. They showed Chip had a heart murmur, which was was a major red flag for someone with his family history. He was later diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart condition in which the heart muscle thickens, making it difficult to pump or receive blood from the heart.
Chip's condition was manageable until he reached his 30s.
Once I turned 33, I had sudden cardiac arrest because of ventricular tachycardia caused by the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. That set off a series of tests and more bad news about my heart.
He started having more tests done, and each one indicated his heart was getting weaker over time. His heart function gradually decreased over the next nine years.
“I had a lot of different bad rhythms until, eventually, it got so weak that I couldn't see my doctor anymore,” said Chip.
Chip was referred to Baptist Heart Institute in Memphis, Tennessee.
“We're from Tupelo, so when we went to Memphis, it was for three straight days of tests,” said Chip. “That way, I didn't have to go back and forth so many times.”
Based on the test results, Chip’s care team, which included a cardiologist, transplant coordinators and nurses, recommended him for a heart transplant.
The coordinators were awesome. They gave us every warning and complication you can imagine along with what to do, how to handle it and what was next for me in one big binder.
They responded to every question Chip and his family had, no matter how simple or “silly” the question seemed.
“Dr. Yaranov and Dr. Mahmoud were the ones I was meeting with the most and they gave us every answer we could imagine,” said Chip.
Chip’s first assessments happened in May 2022. By Sept. 15, tests revealed his heart had decreased in function again. He stayed in the hospital for the next three and a half weeks until his heart transplant surgery on Oct. 8, 2022.
“Everybody was amazing,” said Chip. “They explained everything to us ahead of time. We knew what to expect, what was next and what to do."
Chip’s heart transplant has allowed him to be more active. It was a major change he’s still learning to accept.
It's weird, honestly, getting a heart in adulthood and being able to do things I didn't know I could do. I had to retrain my brain because there were so many things I'd start to do, and then abruptly stop, thinking, ‘No, you can't do that.’ I regularly have to tell myself, ‘Yes, you can because you're healthy now. You can go and do stuff you've never done.’
During a post-operative health screening scheduled before a trip to Universal Studios, his wife mentioned he wouldn't be able to ride the roller coasters because of his heart condition. But a nurse practitioner reminded Chip and his family, he could finally enjoy the roller coaster rides.
“The nurse said, 'No, he doesn't have a heart problem. He had a transplant. He's healthy. Go do whatever you want to do.’ It’s really been a major mind shift to remember I can freely do all the things I told myself I couldn’t do for decades.”
Receiving timely guidance from his care team at Baptist has also played a major part in Chip’s ability to enjoy this new era of his life.
“You constantly have a medical professional that's always there,” said Chip. “Even if it's at night, in the middle of the night or on the weekend, you know they're going to give you a call back within 10 or 15 minutes.”
Chip regularly gets messages, cards and other mementos from his Baptist care team during the holidays and his heart transplant anniversary.
They don't treat a patient like a patient. They treat you like someone in their family, and that means so much. That plays a major part in the mental and emotional side of recovery as much as it does for the physical.
Chip doesn’t consider his heart transplant a miracle. He sees his surgery as the product of the miracle workers at Baptist Heart Institute. His goal in life now is to do whatever he can to ensure others experience the same life-changing level of care he did. Sharing his story is one way Chip hopes he can make this possible.
“A lot of people ask me if I had my transplant done at Vanderbilt in Nashville or outside of Tennessee,” said Chip. “I tell them, ‘No, it's in Memphis!’ I tell them it’s right at Baptist Memorial Hospital.”
About Baptist Heart Institute
Baptist Heart Institute at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis offers comprehensive heart services, including the only certified adult heart transplant and the only adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programs in the Mid-South. Baptist also offers advanced cardiac care for patients through the Baptist Advanced Heart Failure Program.
